Pension Protection Act of 2006 Encourages 401k Savings

The Pension Protection Act (PPA) of 2006 further promoted retirement savings and 401k plan participation. Among its many provisions, the Act made EGTRRA pension rule changes permanent and made some of the rules governing pension plans more flexible. For example,the PPA encourages employers to automatically enroll employees in their 401k plans and allows employers to offer appropriate default investments. These measures seek to increase participation in 401k plans and facilitate the best use of these plans’ options by workers.¹

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Notes:

1. Source: Investment Company Institute, 401k Plans: A 25-Year Retrospective [↩]

401k Assets Reach $2.4 Trillion

401k statistics for the year as reported by the U. S. Department of Labor Employee Benefits Security Administration (EBSA):

1. Number of 401k Plans: 436,207
2. Active 401k Participants: 54,623,000
3. Total 401k Assets: $2.396 trillion
4. 401k Contributions: $223.5 billion
5. 401k Benefit Payments: $189.8 billion

401k Assets Reach $2.2 Trillion

401k statistics for the year as reported by the U. S. Department of Labor Employee Benefits Security Administration (EBSA):

1. Number of 401k Plans: 418,553
2. Active 401k Participants: 53,100,000
3. Total 401k Assets: $2.19 trillion
4. 401k Contributions: $203.9 billion
5. 401k Benefit Payments: $166.7 billion

401k Assets Reach $1.9 Trillion

401k statistics for the year as reported by the U. S. Department of Labor Employee Benefits Security Administration (EBSA):

1. Number of 401k Plans: 403,638
2. Active 401k Participants: 43,624,000
3. Total 401k Assets: $1.92 trillion
4. 401k Contributions: $186.7 billion
5. 401k Benefit Payments: $141.4 billion

401k Assets Fall to $1.6 Trillion

401k statistics for the year as reported by the U. S. Department of Labor Employee Benefits Security Administration (EBSA):

1. Number of 401k Plans: 388,204
2. Active 401k Participants: 43,158,000
3. Total 401k Assets: $1.57 trillion
4. 401k Contributions: $181.7 billion
5. 401k Benefit Payments: $146.9 billion

401k Assets at $1.68 Trillion

401k statistics for the year as reported by the U. S. Department of Labor Employee Benefits Security Administration (EBSA):

1. Number of 401k Plans: 366,568
2. Active 401k Participants: 41,962,000
3. Total 401k Assets: $1.68 trillion
4. 401k Contributions: $174.4 billion
5. 401k Benefit Payments: $147.6 billion

EGTRA Loosens 401k Restrictions and Creates Roth 401k

The Economic Growth and Tax Relief Reconciliation Act (EGTRRA) took another step to spur saving through 401k and other DC plans. EGTRRA increased the annual DC plan contribution limits and specified that, after 2006, maximum annual deferral amounts would be indexed to inflation.

In addition, the restrictions placed on employee deferrals were loosened as the limit on pre-tax contributions was increased and additional “catch-up” contributions were allowed for employees age 50 and older. With the goal of preserving retirement accounts even when job changes occur, EGTRRA increased the opportunities for rollovers among various savings vehicles (401k plans,403b plans, 457 plans, and IRAs). In addition, EGTRRA permitted 401k plans to offer a “Roth” feature for aftertax contributions. ¹

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Notes:

1. Source: Investment Company Institute, 401k Plans: A 25-Year Retrospective [↩]

401k Assets at $1.7 Trillion

401k statistics for the year as reported by the U. S. Department of Labor Employee Benefits Security Administration (EBSA):

1. Number of 401k Plans: 348,053
2. Active 401k Participants: 39,847,000
3. Total 401k Assets: $1.72 trillion
4. 401k Contributions: $169.24 billion
5. 401k Benefit Payments: $172.2 billion

401k Assets Reach $1.8 Trillion

401k statistics for the year as reported by the U. S. Department of Labor Employee Benefits Security Administration (EBSA):

1. Number of 401k Plans: 335,121
2. Active 401k Participants: 38,619,000
3. Total 401k Assets: $1.79 trillion
4. 401k Contributions: $151.9 billion
5. 401k Benefit Payments: $145.9 billion

401k Assets $1.5 Trillion

401k statistics for the year as reported by the U. S. Department of Labor Employee Benefits Security Administration (EBSA):

1. Number of 401k Plans: 300,593
2. Active 401k Participants: 36,846,000
3. Total 401k Assets: $1.54 trillion
4. 401k Contributions: $134.7 billion
5. 401k Benefit Payments: $120.7 billion

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